Anxiety and Stress Management

Are you a BlackBerry Addict?

2008-07-24T12:37:00.001-04:00

Technology, like stress, is the wily bookkeeper who keeps juggling the books, and not always in our favor. Lately, I've been listening to more and more discussion about BlackBerry addiction, so I started giving it some thought. Could you really be addicted to a PDA or wireless device and, if you were, what would be the signs that would tell you? And, is it "addiction" or "dependence?" There are differences. I have a feeling it fits more into the realm of dependence and, like any dependence, it definitely has a down side. BlackBerry is big and the most recent statistics on its sales indicate, according to CNN Money.com, that the quarter ending March 2008 saw $1.88 billion in sales and about 2.18 million new subscribers for just that quarter.

Signs of Dependence

When you look for dependence, you want to see if any of the following have been affected by, usually, a substance, but in this case it's a wireless device.

Are certain activities in your life reduced by your use of this device?
Do you use it excessively?
Do you find it nearly impossible to cut down on your use?
Despite knowing that it causes you stress and tension in your family life, can you not stop using it?
Do you spend large amounts of time using it or in wireless- device-related activities?
If you can't use it, do you have physical symptoms of sweating, anxiety and even nausea?
Have you developed a tolerance that leads you to use it more and more?

Well, my friend, all of those are signs of dependence and let's, for one moment, consider what this might do to you. Like an intrusive friend who seems to be helping you, this usage quickly becomes more important than anything else. You NEED it because you HAVE to be available and you NEED to keep up on things. Do you ever have it far from your side and where do you put it at night? Is it ever off? Do you jump when you get a call and does your heart beat increase?

Try one little thing to see how it might be causing you stress. When the signal comes through that you've got a message or a call, put your index and middle finger over your left wrist bone (where the pulse is) and count the beats. Record and date it somewhere. Then, at some other time, when you're doing a relaxing activity, take your pulse. Is there a difference?

Okay, have you developed a dependence and, if so, what might you do about it? Being under constant stress is unhealthy both physically and mentally. The effect won't be immediate, just like the work of that bookkeeper, but it will be there.

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Technorati Tags: blackberry, pda, technology, stress, health and wellness

Stressful Jobs and Depression Risk

2008-07-03T08:30:00.001-04:00

Stress is a part of life and when it comes to our jobs and how we make a living, it's something that requires our constant care and concern. Now a new study of 1,000 workers in Europe found that stressful jobs accounted for 45 per cent of new cases of depression. The factors which the scientists isolated as being especially important were excessive demands on the job and extreme time pressures. Not only did they find that these workers, with an average age of 32, were experiencing a high percentage of job-related stress-induced depression, but there appeared to be a 40 percent increase in reports from workers of job stress.

When economies turn sour, the heat is on in terms of producing the same with less workers or less in terms of resources. What do you do? The easy answer would be, as I've seen in some advice columns, to change your job. Not so easily done in an economy that appears to be shrinking, nor is it always possible to fit in a college degree or time to learn additional skills. To preserve your mental and physical health, you have to be the one in charge of your after-work life. How do you do that?

Begin when you get up. If you are going to have breakfast, do some in-place exercises while preparing whatever you'll have. You can find easy exercises, requiring no equipment, on line. Next, plan something for any free time you might have to break the job-home-job cycle. Give yourself any breaks you can to get out and take a walk, sit in a swing, do some gardening (yes, even on your windowsill). Anything that will break the routine can be helpful.

One local radio station now incorporates a "daily laugh" into their programming where they play jokes from comedy club acts. Put some laughter into your life. I don't care if you like The Three Stooges or Wayne's World or whatever, just laugh whenever you can. See the humor in life and, yes, there is humor.

If you need a silly exercise, here's one I use in my presentations. Wiggle your ears. You can't? Have you tried? Give it a try and see what happens.

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Technorati Tags: stress, job, depression, anxiety, mental health

The Debt Crunch and Stress-induced Illness

2008-06-13T15:05:00.000-04:00

A recent Associated Press-AOL poll, which took another look at the debt-stress crunch now affecting the American consumer, found that 44% of the 1,002 people in the survey indicated migraine headaches, 29% had severe anxiety, 23% suffered from severe depression and half of the study participants had some form of muscle tension or back pain. The results, when compared to a previous study completed in 2004, show significant increases in debt-related stress-induced physical problems. It's no secret that chronic stress brings on physical problems and the emotional toll is hefty, as well.

Americans have piled up $957 billion in consumer debt, according to the Federal Reserve, and much of it is in the form of credit card debt. Twenty percent of after-tax income is now earmarked to pay this debt and that leaves household budgets with increasingly less money to spend on essentials.

What can be done? My first thought is for professional help in credit card counseling from a reputable service and then consider lifestyle changes to help you weather this credit storm. You will survive, but just as anyone who's ever been through a tornado knows, you have to begin to sort things out and reorder your priorities.

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Technorati Tags: economy, recession, stress, debt, credit cards, saving money

Depression for Women, Alcohol for Men

2008-06-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

A study which appear in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research has added some interesting new insights into the ways that women and men handle stress. It seems that men seek the stress-reduction method of alcohol consumption while women become depressed.

Why might this be? The researchers think it's because men, perhaps, have been socialized to use alcohol or that there are, seemingly, gender-specific brain stress pathways that differ in the sexes. One researcher, however, said she thought it was because women tend to think about negative experiences more while men use distraction techniques, such as alcohol, to calm themselves.

So, is it biological or learned? Perhaps, as in most research findings, a little of both and it indicates that we may need to do a better job of helping men and women learn healthier ways to cope.

Is alcoholism or addiction an issue in your family? We've got support for you on our Addiction and Substance Abuse support group.

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Technorati Tags: stress, men, women, gender, alcoholism

Picture of an Anxious Brain

2008-06-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

The brain, to my mind, is the final frontier that is still being explored and with each exploration we learn more of its incredible secrets. The latest finding on social phobia is brought to us through SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) scans which have now verified the biological basis of this problem. We know that two specific neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) seem to be related to the disorder and a small study in Europe has now confirmed an imbalance in the functioning of these chemicals in the brain. The study was published in the May issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Some 15 million adults in the US suffer from social anxiety disorder.

The researchers point out that this is an important first step to making a connection between the disorder and a biological basis for it. They do, however, caution that they can't say whether the people in the sample had the imbalance prior to the appearance of the disorder. So it would seem that this is yet another example supporting a biologic, genetic, environmental basis for some anxiety disorders and to treat them as medical disorders.

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Image Credit: SNM.org

Technorati Tags: SPECT, social phobia, neurotransmitters, anxiety, imaging

Single Session Therapy: One Session and Out?

2008-06-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

The increasing difficulty with obtaining insurance reimbursement for mental healthcare may have sparked new interest in an even briefer form of therapy that was discussed in a 1995 book by Michael Hoyt, Ph.D. (Brief Therapy and Managed Care, 1995). It is Hoyt's belief, after noting that up to 40% of psychotherapy clients stop after the first session, that therapy can be effective in only one 60-minute or less session.

While therapists may view the patient's failure to continue with therapy after one session, Hoyt sees it as an indication that perhaps only one or two sessions were needed after all. Other psychologists working as a team at the VA have indicated that just one, 60-minute session with even the seriously mentally ill can be effective. They call it a "motivational interview" and it helps to refocus on the primary problem(s) so that the client could zero in on the problem and begin to come up with a plan to resolve them.

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Work, Stress and Mental Health

2008-06-09T18:00:00.001-04:00

Work plays a central role in most people's lives and it is for that reason that the workplace must be one of the most carefully monitored keys to maintaining our mental health. Corporations understand the need for good healthcare for their employees and have even brought in workout equipment, trainers, nutritionists and relaxation experts to help stem the rising cost of employee healthcare. It's a win-win situation when both the employer and the employee realize the gains.

Besides all the programs, where can you find solutions to stress in your workplace? How about spending some time with co-workers and each of you offering support and helpful solutions? Anyone who is currently experiencing high levels of stress needs to understand that they're not alone and they have supportive people around them.

Where do supervisors fit in? Employee Assistance counselors offer both individual help as well as providing programs to teach relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. All employees should be encouraged to take advantage of whichever one is most helpful for them.

What about offering, or requesting if you're an employee, a more flexible schedule where you can keep appointments for mental health or outside appointments with trainers or just to be able to come in late one morning a week and work a bit later on the other days to make up for this? I know many companies that have this flextime arrangement and employees not only enjoy this added freedom, but their attitude toward the company changes. It is this change in outlook at help the corporate environment as well as the bottom line.

Rigid gets us nowhere in terms of our mental health. Even redwood knows they have to bend a bit with the wind in order to survive.

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Technorati Tags: health, stress, happiness, work, balance

Kids, PTSD and Loss

2008-06-02T17:43:00.004-04:00

The loss of a parent is a traumatic event, yet the therapeutic interventions for kids have pretty much centered around the traditional belief that grief needs to be the focus of the therapy. Now, researchers at the University of Georgia have looked at how the inclusion of therapy for PTSD might be effective.

They used a therapeutic camp environment to utilize both grief counseling, PTSD treatment and the usual camp activities with 100 children who had lost a parent. The camp environment and group sessions aided in helping the kids view their situation in relation to that of other kids, too.

Comparing results of this camp experience with that of children who didn't attend the camp, the researchers indicate that continuing to experience severe PTSD was up to 4.5 times greater for the kids who hadn't had the opportunities afforded by the camp. Even looking at grief counseling and camp attendance alone, without the PTSD sessions, wasn't as effective as the combination of the two modalities. So, it would seem that the therapeutic focus for kids with this type of loss has to be broadened. The results are in the May issue of Research on Social Work Practice.

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Technorati Tags: PTSD, grief, loss, death in family, children, camp, counseling

Diagnosis, DSM and Physician Affiliations

2008-05-08T21:20:00.002-04:00

When you go to a psychiatrist or psychologist (or even your primary care physician), the first thing they pull out (whether in your sight or not) is a copy of the DSM (Diagnostic & Statistical Manual), the book that describes every mental disorder with all its symptoms and offers a means of making a diagnosis. It is the Bible of the medical profession and of every insurance company in the world, probably.

The question that needs to be asked, by people who'd like to really understand this book: How is this book constructed and who is involved in deciding what goes into it? Good question. It's a committee, the members can be found in the front of the book, that gets together and, based on their clinical experience and judgment, they make additions or deletions and decides what is to go into the book. There is also another medical "coding" book and that's the ICD-9 which is used for procedure codes and billing purposes. If you'd like information on this, go here. For the DSM, go to the publisher's website (American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.) and also go to the National Institute of Mental Health for more information.

Are the physicians and psychologists who are on the committee to review and revise the book which describes mental disorders taking money from pharmaceutical firms? Perhaps that's not the right way to phrase that question. Do any of the committee members receive any funding from pharmaceutical firms? Probably most, if not all, do because the nature of research and funding is such that schools, hospitals and foundations cannot fund all work in this area. Funds are needed from pharmaceutical firms and the hope is that this does not cause bias in any form.

Might it cause some bias? Perhaps, but it's my opinion that professionals are not going to agree to revise a diagnosis or add a new criteria just because they have some funding from a firm that makes medications.

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Technorati Tags: DSM, psychology, psychiatry, pharmaceutical funding

Anxiety and Medication Compliance

2008-05-01T15:26:00.001-04:00

No one wants to have a medical illness, especially one that requires that you have to either take pills or use an inhaler on a daily basis or inject yourself. For many, it reinforces the fact that you're "sick" or that you are not able to do what others can. For me, that's one side of the coin, but I think it's better for you, in terms of your compliance with treatment and your self-esteem, to look at the other side.

So, what's the other side of the coin? How about thinking that each pill or injection is proof that you have both the determination to maintain your health and that rather than reinforcing the fact that you're "sick," it means you're a winner. You won't let this stop you, or get you down because you're going to go on with your life and do the things you want.

Need examples? How about the actress Halle Berry who is a diabetic, but decided to be a successful actress and now a mother? How about Lance Armstrong who won the Tour de France multiple times while fighting testicular cancer? How about Bill Russell, the former basketball star, Bernie Mac, the comedian and Karen Duffy, the model, who all have sarcoidosis or Michael J. Fox who is fighting Parkinson's Disease and still is involved in entertainment? Gary Hall, Jr., winner of 10 Olympic gold medals has diabetes and so did Jackie Robinson.

Taking medication to help you control the symptoms of anxiety or depression or any other psychological disorder only makes you better for getting yourself into treatment. It may be anxiety provoking at first and even leave you with some concern, but what do you want to do with your life; live it or be controlled by the illness?

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Technorati Tags: anxiety, medication, diabetes, celebrity, wellness, healthy living

The Iraq War and PTSD: Finding Good from Bad

2008-03-31T18:41:00.001-04:00

The number of casualties from this war is staggering. One piece of information that is particularly of concern is the number of both military and civilian personnel returning to the U.S. with symptoms of PTSD. One of the more difficult of the anxiety disorders to treat and one which has an enormous impact on families, PTSD has now become a focus of intensified research. Both therapy and pharmacologic interventions are being sought to more effectively deal with the trauma that gave birth to the disorder. Just as World War II helped psychologists and neurologists better understand physical brain trauma, this war is pushing the resources in research to look at psychological trauma. The initiative will serve all of us.

The National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which is in the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now has both videos and FAQs related to this disorder and related issues. These issues concern the expectations of both the family and the PTSD sufferer. Questions center around actually talking about the topic, and the need to work toward establishing trust and closeness. Additionally, there are links to the resources you and your loved ones will need and how to gain access to them.

I've pasted a link to one site on my self-help page (a NAMI center) and the National Center also has a booklet (Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Families) available only on-line here and a guide for military personnel is available here.

More specific information can be found at Veterans and their Families and addresses additional issues as well. They also have a video on a topic which has previously received less attention: women in the military. Well-known TV personality Jane Pauley narrates the video on military women.

If you have someone now serving in the military in Iraq or Afghanistan or who has come home, I urge you to visit these links. We all need to know what we can do to help with our veterans' return to a full life of physical and mental health.

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Technorati Tags: Iraq, Afghanistan, veterans, PTSD, family, stress, anxiety

School Stress and Tragedies

2008-02-15T11:50:00.006-05:00

School appears to many to be a time when everything is going right for students and all they need to do is study, get good grades and learn how to be good citizens. Unfortunately, the recent events with regard to campus shootings and other tragedies fly in the face of such beliefs.

The pressures of school are felt by all students, but for some the pressures are more than they feel they can handle. It's at these times, and even before, that efforts need to be made to reach out to these students to help them see that there are solutions for problems, pressures can be handled and help is there for the asking. It is, however, it is this "asking" that may prevent some students from getting the help they need.
How can schools, teachers and parents approach this dilemma and attempt to short-circuit tragedy? The first step must be to recognize where the pressure is coming from and then we can look at ways to help.

Stress in school comes from several areas: schoolwork, expectations of parents, the student's expectations of themselves, and personal relationships. There may also be times of the year when this stress is greater than others. For instance, just around mid-terms and finals time, holidays when students are heading home, or at graduation time. These are all prime stress times because of the added pressure to achieve, the loss of person contacts and support and the new challenges graduates face.

The time to help is when students just enter their school activities and I would urge that all students receive on-going workshops, stress refresher training, and that the counseling office make itself known on a daily basis. We can't always expect these students to come to us and we have to begin to go to them. It's really a mission to reach out to students and their parents because the two, working together, can be most effective in helping.

Things to Remember

Keep the following in mind:

There are no "failures" in life or coursework; everything is a learning experience
Being stressed is a part of life and there are things you can do
Give yourself some mental distance from the problem and talk it over with someone
Asking for help, no matter what the problem, is always a good, positive move
Nobody's perfect

Pin this list up on your desk or the refrigerator or paste it on the wall and look at it daily. It's one way to help you keep a healthy focus on things.

Are you feeling stressed in school? Know someone who is? Try a visit to our support group or discuss things with other members on our Health Cafe message board.

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Gunshots on Campus - Advice for Families

2008-02-14T18:02:00.006-05:00

We send our children to school each day and our older children go away to college to begin learning more life skills to prepare them for their careers, their futures and to have an opportunity for independence. We always expect that they will return to us safely, but that doesn't always happen. When it doesn't, our faith in their safety at school is shaken, and now there's been another shooting in a lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University.

This isn't the first time we've seen this and it's not the first time we've seen it at a university. Who can forget last year's shooting at Virginia Tech or the attack at the University of Texas at Austin when Charles Whitman climbed into the bell tower and held the entire campus prisoner?

What is the appropriate action for the school, the parents, the students and our country? No one has the magic formula, but one thing we do know is that going on with life, as before, won't be easy, but it's the only way to defeat the anxiety and stress being experienced. The trauma of the incident will not disappear, but how everyone responds will make all the difference.

Families are the primary support now and families must be included in any actions taken on behalf of the students. The strength they can provide for each other is not something that can be offered by schools alone.

Reassurance, not overreacting and maintaining calm is essential. The students may not experience any symptoms of stress immediately, but that doesn't mean that the storm is over. Counseling and learning how to use this situation in a positive way is also essential. I am a strong proponent of "good from bad" and I believe we will find some good here, too.

The main thing all of us want to know is what happened and what were the factors that set this deadly plan into place. Those answers are yet to come.

Still concerned or anxious? Come join our discussion on the Health Cafe.

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Technorati Tags: campus shooting, Northern Illinois University, stress

Are Internet Confessions Good for the Soul?

2008-02-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

The new internet rage of posting "confessions" onto willing websites would appear, to some, to have merit in that it allows you to give "voice" to all those pent-up confessions that may be at the bottom of your anxiety, depression or guilt. But is that really so? Where's the real upside to this and what about the other side of the coin, the dark side? Isn't this just a perfect example of voyeurism, aka Peeping Tom Syndrome? Sounds like it to me.

Some therapists believe that depression comes from keeping things bottled up inside you and, perhaps, it can even cause things like cancer. We've heard that it's good to let your rage out, too, because if you don't, it may come back to bite you in an uncomfortable place. Are these pundits correct in their assumptions? I don't believe so and I also have an opinion on whether confession is good for the body and soul.

The pundits assume that keeping these secrets hidden can result in an altered immune system that leaves you vulnerable to disorders and a target for diseases. I'm not sure that's exactly the case here. We know that people who have serious illnesses, such as cancer, often feel depressed and that the depression precedes the diagnosis of cancer. But does that mean that cancer is a direct result of something that caused the depression or that cancer causes a biological change which leads to depression? Both would seem likely possibilities, but the depression causing cancer idea really hasn't played out in the research I've seen.

The research isn't as straightforward as we would like and there are plenty of studies that seem to prove some point or another. In the social sciences, we refer to it as cherry-picking, or selecting the studies that seem to prove your point. Every grad student has been called on that one. Once we look at the studies carefully, we find they don't hold up and there were factors which weren't considered. It's the nature of human beings. Some will feel better after confessions and some may just feel better after a brisk walk and no confession.

But what about confessions on the internet? Isn't it just a harmless exercise that will, indeed, lead to relief of symptoms and promote health? I'm definitely not sure here and, in fact, I think it may have more of that underbelly to which I referred earlier. Once you begin to reveal things, there will be people who will be waiting for you like a lamb going to its final reward on the dinner table. The more people out there, the greater the possibility, in fact the probability, that you will have someone stalking you, trying to find you or wanting to play with your head. Where's the benefit in harassment?

The internet already has enough people disguising themselves as someone they're not. The idea of "confessions" will just be too tempting for them. There will also be those who make up confessions just to shock the reader and get their joy that way. Then there will be others who will concoct incredibly horrible stories of life that will make people want to cry, only to be taken in.

Internet confessions good for your health? I think not. Something you'll regret? Possibly.

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Technorati Tags: postsecret, online, confession, depression, anxiety, internet

Britney, Privacy and Dr. Phil

2008-01-10T16:27:00.001-05:00

Photo by Gregg O'Connell

The deed has been done and there's the devil to be paid, if I were to paraphrase one of those old adages. In this case, Britney Spears' privacy and her sense of being able to make decisions on her own, have both been violated by Phil McGraw, Ph.D., an unlicensed psychologist and well-known TV personality. McGraw, from the reports of family representatives, was asked to help in assisting the family in getting help for Britney, then a patient in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California.

What are the many problems here? For one thing, according to the law, Britney is in charge of her life, not her parents and they cannot make decisions about who may visit her in any facility she may be at any time. Even teens have this right, so McGraw was clearly in violation of Britney's rights and he further compounded the problem when he made a display of his wish to speak out about the situation. And this would do what, Phil? Make her even more determined to run and suspect just about everyone around her? When did McGraw become such an advocate for Britney or anyone else? He runs a TV show, not a clinic, private practice or rehab facility. While he was licensed in Texas for 20 years, he's no longer licensed in any state in the United States, so calling him 'doctor' is leaving people with the wrong impression.

The spin on this story compounded the problem further. One source said she walked out of her room when he came in because she didn't invite him in the first place. He didn't stay for the hour he contends, but 15 minutes according to some sources . Maybe her Southern sense of etiquette did her in here because she did return after walking out.

Then McGraw said he planned a TV show on her plight. Duh, who couldn't have seen that one coming down the freeway? Now he's all miffed that he was some sort of champion and they're trying to muzzle him and put it in a self-serving light. Phil, wake up and smell the roses, yourself. You did a bad, bad thing and it has earned you no kudos. And you're painting yourself as the victim here? As you'd say on your show, what were you thinking?

Treatment for any psychiatric disorder is a delicate, highly personal matter and it has to remain so. It reminds me of the Frances Farmer case where they found the highly acclaimed actress too much to handle, so they had her committed to a psychiatric hospital where she was sexually abused for years. I'm sure those visions, even though she probably never heard of Farmer, are in Britney's head at this very minute. How is she going to manage to come back from this and take over her own life again?

She's already fled, via private jet, to the East Coast and I suspect she's going to become even more suspicious about everyone around her. Instead of the help she needs, McGraw has pushed her further from it by his antics.

Shame on you, Phil McGraw.

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Technorati Tags: Britney Spears, Dr. Phil, health, wellness, privacy, HIPAA, privacy rights, celebrity, psychiatry

Britney Spears - Toxic Celebrity

2008-01-04T16:28:00.001-05:00

The media is all over Britney Spears and her problems, calling it a "meltdown". It seems that when direct Britney news cools down, there's a rush to see who else can be turned over the coals a bit.

Brit's mom, Lynne Spears, has seen her life change from success story to finger-pointing "whodunnit" melodrama. Her book deal has been put on hold after her younger daughter revealed her pregnancy and now her older daughter has been taken, via ambulance, to a hospital for psychiatric observation.

Mommy Spear-est?

Is Mom to blame for all of this or should Britney be held responsible for her life now that she is an adult and a mom of two young boys? I don't think the finger-pointing is going to help one bit and I do believe in personal responsibility. Lynne Spears can be supportive, but she can't be held responsible for Britney's actions now. Her daughter has to curb her own behavior, admit she has to deal with some very serious personal problems and face the consequences of her actions. It's time for professional intervention of many sorts, it would seem.

This latest news also points out how the Spears household has a lot in common with many other homes in this nation. They have their problems and conflicts, but there's an added burden that most people don't consider and that's celebrity.

Consider how you would function if every action in your life, 24 hours a day, were photographed or videotaped and people said things that were hurtful, disturbing and not totally honest? It's called overload and if it goes on long enough anyone would have a melt-down. You begin to wonder who your friends are, who is selling stories about you, and you might want to just be left alone but they keep pushing and no one seems able to step in and help you get a grip on reality. Reality may often not feel 'real' anymore and you begin to wander around in a daze. Could this have happened to Britney? Really, no one knows what's really inside her personal world.

Lynne Spears has asked for prayers for her daughter and I think that's a good idea. Things as they stand now are too much like one of Tennessee Williams' plays and they were no laughing matter. Leave the girl and her family alone. No one should be dogged this way.

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Update 1/7/2007:

Technorati Tags: Britney Spears, Lynne Spears, mental health, celebrity, crisis, stress, anxiety

Fatal Error: One for the Road

2007-12-31T16:36:00.001-05:00

The New Year begins and all over America people believe that it must be ushered in with a glass or two of some alcoholic beverage. It has become a part of our culture and even recovering alcoholics want to celebrate with a non-alcoholic beverage that has all the appearance of an alcoholic drink. It seems that even here we see the strong influence of alcohol and celebration. Some people believe it's not a celebration if it doesn't include alcohol and others use "celebration" as a means to an even greater intake of anything alcoholic.

Alcohol has been found to have some benefit, according to recent studies, but the researchers also indicated that meant one or two drinks a day, not one or two an hour. So, the research doesn't support excessive drinking and, certainly, not binge drinking as we may find on holidays.

As to traffic accidents, we can only estimate the toll that takes on everyone's life; the driver, the victims, everyone's family, the police, insurance rates and even ER personnel. No one is left unscathed by these accidents. The group with the highest incidence of driving while drunk and in traffic accidents includes those between the ages of 21-25 where over 27% of them drove drunk.

What do we need to do about this excess and the recklessness that comes with alcohol when driving? For one thing, alcohol isn't a means to dampen your social anxiety, although we see many people with anxiety or panic disorders drinking to self-medicate.

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes all of us to help potential alcoholics not become full-blown drunk drivers and we need to learn ways to short-circuit the tantrums that come with it. Take the keys, have a designated driver, or take a taxi.

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Technorati Tags: parties, alcohol, drunk driving, safety, New Years, celebrations

Photo: iStock Photography

The Piggybank Mentality: Money and Sanity

2007-12-26T04:27:00.000-05:00

The season for giving gifts and racking up that $17.3 billion in credit card debt that has Americans swimming in a sea of red ink is over and now the average consumer/gift-giver has to face some very unpleasant music. You can't undo what's been done but you can do something about maintaining your sanity in the year to come. We've heard mixed comments about the economy and I don't have to be a credit analyst to know that times are going to get rougher in terms of mortgages, credit card payments and paying for gas for the family car.

The secret to survival and maintaining your sanity is to begin now to 'look for that silver lining' that old song told us about. What can you do?

Stress, in many families, is increased by financial problems. We know that more family arguments have a basis in family finances. Instead of arguing about everything, come to terms with your situation and begin to work together now to improve your future.

I think that the piggy bank is here to stay and it should be a symbol for us to help us remember that saving rather than spending to the limit is the only way out of this.

I heard an economist talk about how we are not pushing the country's production by what we want and need, the forces of production are pushing us to buy, buy, buy and too many people are responding to this pied piper.

The Road to Sanity

The road to sanity is paved with several things:

Get a grip on your spending and ask yourself one question: Do I really need this?

Take that loose change in your pocket and put it in the piggy bank, then into a savings account

Sit down and make a budget that reflects what you actually have to spend and stick to it

See a financial counselor if your credit cards are going to get you into serious problems

How many credit cards do you really 'need' and how many can be either shredded or renegotiated for a lower rate?

When you take action, no matter how small it seems, it gives you a sense of empowerment. Instead of having a tantrum or growling at your kids or co-workers, be responsible now for past actions. The years of acting like a kid and just scooping up all those glossy, unnecessary goodies are gone. Reality does bite, but you have the remedy and it's not in drugs or alcohol.

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Technorati Tags: holiday, stress, money, credit, money management
Image Credit: iStockPhoto.com

Social Anxiety: Eating

2007-12-20T14:56:00.000-05:00

Eating can be both a pleasure and a painful experience, depending on how you view it. I'm not talking about people with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

I've seen people eating alone quietly in restaurants while they peruse the pages of a magazine or book or listen to their iPods. Some leisurely eat while scanning the room to look at interesting people or overhear conversations that have caught their attention. People, in this way, can be fascinating, if you overcome your feeling that you're being somewhat intrusive.

But for some, eating in a restaurant is something they would compare to walking over hot coals a mile long. It is an excruciating experience. Let me tell you one experience I had with an institutionalized patient who, unknown to the staff, had this fear of eating in public. They saw it as willful, obstinate and extremely annoying behavior. He wouldn't eat in the dining room and he'd dump his tray almost as soon as it was filled. Then he'd storm back to his unit and demand money for candy which he could buy at a store on the grounds.

This fellow was a large, rather unapproachable-looking guy who had been a resident for over 20 years. He was always walking around in a state of clothing disarray. The staff was approaching the end of their rope.

Unsuspecting me, the new "kid" on the block as it were, was brought in to remedy this situation. I didn't know where to begin, but I felt that the dining room with all the patients must have held the answer. I began a plan to take him, alone, down to the dining room and to keep him engaged in conversation while the other patients came in. Once he was aware of them, dump went the tray and he wanted to return to his room.

We worked on this for weeks and then, after I left, the next person, under my direction, worked with him. It went very well as he gradually learned to handle the anxiety he initially felt and to block out what others were doing.

Learning to be comfortable when eating out is really a matter of learning how to help distract yourself and to refocus on something you find interesting or helpful.

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Technorati Tags: socialanxiety, shyness

Perspective Fights Anxiety

2007-11-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

Jim Champion

The Mayo Clinic is now providing those who suffer from anxiety and stress some help in handling the challenges of life or the anxiety that they feel on a daily basis. It's a matter of perspective, according to these clinicians. Looking at the personality characteristics that seem to help resilient people maintain their sense of calm in the face of problems or anxiety, they have offered a list of qualities.

Resilient people use several approaches to stress and anxiety. These individuals:

Use humor.

Use their experience as a means to learn to cope.

Maintain an optimistic/hopeful outlook.

Understand and accept change.

Establish goals and work toward them.

Engage in self-examination.

Maintain their sense of self-esteem.

Jim Champion

The primary thing to remember is that you don't need to put yourself down because you think you haven't succeeded in something. View each challenge or problem as an opportunity for growth and understand that life is practice in living.

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Technorati Tags: anxiety, stress, perspective, mental health and wellness

The Today Show, Stress and Dr. Farrell

2007-10-25T19:12:00.000-04:00

I've always enjoyed being on the Today Show because they take serious topics and treat them with a delicate, helpful touch. So, when Today called me and asked if I'd do the show on October 26 on the topic of stress in today's world, I agreed without a second thought.

An American Psychological Association poll recently found that almost half of those who responded felt that they were more stress today than in the past five years. They are concerned and stressed over finances, particularly rent and mortgage payments, problems managing family and work, and 54% said they are fighting with people close to them. So, what to do?

I'm always being asked for "natural" remedies for anxiety and stress and tomorrow (right now for you), I'm going to give the audience five tips:

Watch the "healthy triad" -- diet, sleep and exercise -- and don't skimp on any of them

Put fun and laughter in your life -- it's the best medicine for which you write the prescription

Learn and use relaxation breathing on a regular basis--I have it on my website's self-help page here and I urge you to use it

Take mini-vacations of two-three days and do it on the spur of the moment. If you can't actually go, try a virtual vacation in your mind. See my guided imagery tip on the self-help page.

Learn to say "no." I deal with that in my book and I can't say how important this is. Setting limits on what you do or what you agree to do for others and you'll be happier and, in the long run, so will they.

So, Matt Lauer, here I come.

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Technorati Tags: Today Show, Pat Farrell, stress, tips, advice

Fear and Phobias 6: Emetophobia

2007-09-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

Emetophobia: A fear of vomiting or choking is not uncommon and can cause any existing social anxiety to become intensified as the fear of becoming the focus of attention increases. It appears to be related to a number of factors including social anxiety, competence concerns, and stress factors.

In addition to medication, when appropriate, cognitive behavior therapy and now competence training is being used to alleviate this fear.

This particular phobia is not widely studied on its own, yet many suffer from it in some form. Are you one of them?

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Technorati Tags: emetophobia, phobia, vomit, choking, health and wellness

Fear and Phobias 5: Acrophobia

2007-09-13T15:21:00.000-04:00

A fear of heights is a common condition and involves the same symptoms we find in other phobia, e.g., racing heart, shortness of breath, muscle tension, sweating, trembling and intense fear. The person suffering from this phobia needn't be in a tall building, but may find they experience this when going up on a ladder, an amusement ride or any high place, whether it be a bridge or vacation highlight such as the Grand Canyon.

We have seen this phobia used in films where they show one of the characters immobilized such as James Stewart in "Vertigo" where he can't climb a bell tower to save a woman. Again, the fear may be something learned, even an inner ear problem can trigger this phobia and the result is panic.

Medication, behavior therapy and relaxation techniques are the usual treatments.

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Technorati Tags: acrophobia, phobia, heights, panic health and wellness

Fear and Phobias 4: Claustrophobia

2007-09-07T12:57:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Fabio Venni

Claustrophobia, a fear of being trapped in small, confined spaces is also very harmful to a person's efforts to try to lead a healthy, happy life. This fear may involve not only small rooms, elevators or going through tunnels, it can involve even getting into a car.

People with this phobia have a heightened sense of fear of their environment and will scan the environment for quick points of escape should they feel trapped. Some people will only accept jobs where they can easily walk to their office without taking an elevator or even walking up a flight of stairs. Again, the fear may have been formed by having had a panic attack in one of these places.

The treatment can include medication, behavioral techniques such as relaxation breathing, deep muscle relaxation, thought stopping, modeling behavior and flooding. The latter technique involves extreme exposure to the fear place.

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Technorati Tags: claustrophobia, phobia, closed spaces, health and wellness

Fears and Phobias 3: Fear of Flying

2007-09-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Ian Muttoo

Aerophobia, or fear of flying can leave those affected by it unable to fly for any reason and it doesn't matter if it's a happy occasion such as a vacation or a necessary one like traveling for business. Some people who suffer from this phobia not only find plane travel incapacitating, they also have a fear of fresh air or drafts of air.

One of the usual treatments is to use a short-acting anti-anxiety medication. Another effective treatment uses what is called desensitization techniques. In this method, individuals are gradually introduced to the idea of flying while, at the same time, they learn to use relaxation techniques.

First, the person is taught how to relax and once that is mastered, the next step is to gradually introduce them to the idea of flying in a plane. It's systematic desensitization in that the idea of plane travel is followed by photos of planes, then there may be a trip to an airport, then to a plane without taking off and, finally, they are taken for a ride in a plane. This may be done in a group or with a therapist on a large plane. The idea is that you can't be relaxed and anxious at the same time and that once you've conquered your fear of flying by actually flying, you are now in control.

Some of the other techniques involved the use of audio or video tapes of flying before any actual flights take place and there may also be a virtual plane ride via computer simulation.

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Technorati Tags: aerophobia, fear of flying, phobia, panic attack, health and wellness